Reviews by arewenotben

Not all of this works but when it goes, it really goes. Must have been pretty special 55 years ago

Pretty much all killer, no filler. Some tracks have been dampened by over-exposure but it's hard to give it much other than the full 5

Over hyped at the time (I completely bought into it, saw them live a bunch of times in this era) but there's still good stuff, albeit patchy

I could do without Act of Contrition at the end but otherwise this is close to perfect, starts on a high with Like A Prayer/Express Yourself and the quality doesn't really drop. Disappointed in myself that I'd never heard this in full before

Songwriting masterclass, many of these have better cover versions but can still appreciate the craft

Borderline perfect

3.5

Peerless country soul

3.5

Still stands up, very fond memories of this as a teenager - was lent it from a friend and it felt genuinely dangerous to listen to.

Freedom! 90 is an alltimer, a surprisingly subdued release in general though.

Exceptional when it's going all out, largely meh sadly

Good stuff!

Takes a while to click but once the fug clears it's great, love the grooves and just the general vibe. 3.5 rounded up

The title track is part of the modern canon, but there's so many versions they all merge together - not sure I've ever heard the album version before; it's definitely WAY overproduced and quite weak compared to more pared down covers. Discovered a DJ Shadow sample on El Condor Pasa too! Hiding in plain sight. I enjoyed this in the main but not something I'd ever choose to listen to

Personal Jesus & Enjoy the Silence are bangers, but the rest didn't do much for me at all 2.5

Pretty good, but of interest more as spot the sample than as an album to enjoy. The iron butterfly cover is sweet though

One of the first albums that turned me onto music. It's not perfect (I'd probably go 4.5) but the highs are stratospheric

Really enjoyed this, surprisingly so considering I know nothing about traditional country music. Will explore more!

The disco tracks are 5/5 alltimers, the slower pop songs are predictably sexless and bring the album down.